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Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(3)

Body sizes, activity times, food habits and reproduction of brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) (Serpentes : Colubridae) from tropical north Queensland, Australia

D. F. Trembath A C and S. Fearn B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, GPO Box 4646, Darwin, NT 0801, Australia.

B Department of Primary Industries and Water, Level 1, 167 Westbury Road, Prospect, Tas. 7250, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: dane.trembath@nt.gov.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 56(3) 173-178 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO08008
Submitted: 21 January 2008  Accepted: 18 September 2008   Published: 27 November 2008

Abstract

Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) are medium to large colubrid snakes that are relatively common within the eastern and northern parts of tropical Australia. An invasive population on Guam in the western Pacific has resulted in B. irregularis being one of the most studied snakes on earth. However, no field studies have ever been conducted on Australian populations. During a seven-year period we collected data on 265 field-caught specimens in north Queensland. These snakes were from three populations and provided data on body sizes, activity times, food habits and reproduction. B. irregularis were found to attain larger body sizes in the Wet Tropics populations than in the Townsville and Magnetic Island populations. More snakes were encountered during the wet and warm season than during the dry and cool season. Sexual size dimorphism was not detected in any population. The diet included a wide range of vertebrates. Reproductive data were scant from the populations examined.


Acknowledgements

Sincere thanks to the following people for their assistance in the field: John Blackburn, Dr David Blair, Alex Castle, Andre Fagerlid, David Freier, Kathy and Gavin Huddleston, Ray Lloyd, Steve Patane, David Poppi, Damien King, Josh Hawes, Jodi Rowley, Joe Sambono, Jason Schaffer and Dr Lin Schwarzkopf. Thanks also to Jason Elliott, who provided help with statistical analysis. Dr Diane Barton and Dr Paul Horner provided helpful comments on the manuscript. Thanks must also be extended to the Bureau of Meterology for permitting the download of climatic data. This work was conducted under the following permits from the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (NO/001446/98/SAB and F1/000330/00/SAA) and Environmental Protection Agency (#WITK02196804, #WISP02196704, and #WISP01039503).


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